Accelerate Your Career with a Graduate Degree in Health Systems, Management & Policy

Apply Now for Fall 2020

As the most technically-advanced in the world, the American healthcare system fuels the U.S. economy and rescues millions of patients from diseases and injuries that were disabling and fatal conditions in previous decades. Unfortunately, millions in the U.S. also fail to receive the care and support needed for optimal health. The cost of care regularly strains government and household budgets to the point of crisis.  Americans pay far more for healthcare than citizens of any other country, yet our health status and life expectancy rank below those of most other developed nations.

Leaders in the rapidly expanding field of Health Systems, Management & Policy (HSMP) identify causes and create solutions for these problems, adapting fixes for use in diverse American and global communities.  A master’s degree from CU’s HSMP Program provides students with the ticket to rewarding careers as leaders in policy analysis, healthcare administration, research, consulting, tech, philanthropy, public health practice, and advocacy. The degree also offers a versatile base for pursuing advanced doctoral education in areas such as medicine, biomedical science, and health services research.

Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region provide an exceedingly rich and rewarding environment for studying innovations in health policy and health system transformation.  Students in the HSMP program learn to apply tools from economics, data science, epidemiology, law, public policy, and management science to solve complex health system problems.  Students work closely with CU’s internationally-renowned faculty and their collaborators in government and the private sector, providing unparalleled access to leading experts in Colorado, across the U.S. and around the globe.  Students engage with our constellation of leading-edge research programs and centers, such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s national Systems for Action research program based here on the campus.

Students enjoy rich opportunities for collaboration and learning with numerous academic and clinical institutions affiliated with the $4 billion state of the art CU Anschutz Medical Campus in the greater Denver area. Campus affiliates include University of Colorado Hospital, Colorado’s comprehensive cancer center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, and UCHealth’s network of healthcare facilities across the state.  Beyond campus, faculty and students collaborate with innovative healthcare systems and government agencies regionally and nationally, utilizing a robust data environment that includes a campus-wide clinical data warehouse, regional electronic health data networks, and access to restricted federal data sources. The Colorado School of Public Health is the only accredited school of public health in the Rocky Mountain region, operating as a partnership of the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and University of Northern Colorado.  When not studying, students enjoy all that Denver and the Rocky Mountain region have to offer.

Applications to CU’s Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Systems, Management & Policy are being accepted on a rolling basis during the Spring semester, for admission in Fall 2020.  The MPH degree is the world’s definitive credential for advanced graduate training in the applied public health sciences.  New this year, GRE scores are no longer required for the MPH application.  Well-qualified MPH students and others with previous training may choose to continue study in CU’s PhD Program in Health Services Research, which provides advanced training for research careers in health systems and health policy.  More information on how to apply to these graduate programs is available on our website.  Space is limited, so applying as early as possible is encouraged.